EBLEX SHEEP BRP MANUAL 5

Growing and finishing

lambs for Better Returns
The information in this booklet was compiled by While the Agriculture and Horticulture Development
Dylan Laws and Dr Liz Genever, EBLEX. Board, operating through its EBLEX division, seeks
to ensure that the information contained within
Additional photographs supplied by: North of
England Mule Sheep Association and Germinal this document is accurate at the time of printing,
Seeds GB no warranty is given in respect thereof and, to the
maximum extent permitted by law, the Agriculture
and Horticulture Development Board accepts no
liability for loss, damage or injury howsoever caused
(including that caused by negligence) or suffered
directly or indirectly in relation to information and
opinions contained in or omitted from this document.
The text of this document (this excludes, where
present, any logos) may be reproduced free of
charge in any format or medium providing that it
is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading
context. The material must be acknowledged as
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
copyright and the document title specified. Where
third party material has been identified, permission
from the respective copyright holder must be sought.
Any enquiries regarding this document should be sent
to: EBLEX Division, AHDB, Stoneleigh Park,
Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 2TL

For more information contact:

Better Returns Programme

EBLEX
Stoneleigh Park
Kenilworth
Warwickshire
CV8 2TL

Tel: 0870 241 8829

Email: [email protected]
www.eblex.org.uk
EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture
Development Board (AHDB).

©Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2014.

All rights reserved
Contents
2 When to wean Over 12 million lambs are slaughtered in the UK
every year, producing more than 230,000 tonnes
of meat.
4 Fitting lambs to
systems There are two main challenges for the lamb sector;
the first is to maintain the production of
high-quality meat and the second is to ensure
6 Feed planning sheep farming is financially viable.
Most of the costs involved are spent supporting
8 Feed options the lamb from birth to weaning. Post-weaning
management also needs careful planning to
12 What are the costs? maximise the financial returns. Minimising
mortality and maximising growth rates are crucial.

14 Biosecurity and The starting point, ironically is the end-point.

health planning Farmers should ask themselves: Who will be
buying the lambs? How will they be marketed?
When do they need to be ready by? What type of
16 Selection for lamb is required?
slaughter
Once an answer to all these questions is known,
a plan can be put in place to achieve the target
17 Measuring growth rates needed to meet the customers’
and monitoring needs, using feeds that are most appropriate and
performance readily on hand.
This manual presents a range of options and ideas
for growing and finishing lambs to achieve better
returns.

Dylan Laws
Livestock Scientist
EBLEX

1
When to wean
Figures from the EBLEX Stocktake Survey suggest lambs are usually weaned between 12 and 14
weeks of age.
The decision on when to wean should be determined by ewe body condition, feed availability and lamb
growth rates. These factors change every year, so the ideal weaning date cannot be set in stone.
Assess at eight weeks
Assessing ewes and weighing lambs at around eight weeks of age (from midpoint of lambing) can
give an indication of the ewe’s milk supply, the health status of the group and forage supply. It also
allows a weaning date to be decided, as ewe condition and lamb performance can be assessed.

Hill ewes Upland ewes Lowland ewes

At weaning 2 2 2.5
At tupping 2.5 3 3.5
Table 1: Target Body Condition Score (BCS) for ewes in different situations
Aim to have 90% of the ewes at the target BCS
If ewes at eight weeks post-lambing are falling below the weaning BCS targets, the lambs may need
to be taken away earlier to allow sufficient time for the ewes to gain condition to reach the target
BCS by tupping. Ewes in the right condition at tupping tend to have more lambs the following year.
It takes six to eight weeks for a ewe to gain one BCS on unrestricted grazing.
Target growth rates for lambs up to eight weeks of age should be greater than 250g per day
If a lamb (with a 4kg birthweight) gained an average of 250g per day from birth to eight weeks
(56 days) it would weigh 18kg, or 21kg if it gained at 300g per day.
If lamb growth rate is lower, it may be due to parasites, ewe condition affecting milk production or
forage supply and is worth investigating.

2
Up to weaning
From eight weeks of age a lamb’s energy intake is greater from grass than from milk, so competition
for high-quality grass between ewes and lambs reaches a critical point. The time this happens will
change each year depending on grazing management and grass growth.
If the grass is growing well and ewes are in good condition, weaning can be delayed without
reducing lamb liveweight gain. However, if forage availability is low, lamb growth rates will suffer,
as ewes and lambs compete for the same grass.
If lamb growth rates are lower than 200g per day, this should trigger weaning and lambs
should be moved onto better quality forage
If creep feed is being fed, liveweight gain may not decline after eight weeks. So weaning decisions
will be based on how long the lambs have until they are finished as well as ewe condition. The
target for systems with high creep use is to sell over 60% of lambs before weaning.

Transition period
Research shows that animals that experience novel feeds, such as red clover, chicory or cereals, when
with their mothers perform better once they are exposed to the feed when weaned. It is therefore
important to think about a transition period if the lambs are being weaned onto different feeds.
It can take up to three weeks for the rumen to adapt to a new feed and care is needed to
prevent a weaning check
Any treatments, such as vaccines or wormers, should be given before weaning as stress can affect the
immune response, especially to vaccines, making lambs more susceptible to disease.
Ideally, lambs should be weaned onto a pasture they know but out of sight and sound of the ewes. Once
they have settled, they can be moved to pasture with a known low worm burden or onto a forage crop.
Use faecal egg counts to confirm the level of parasite challenge in recently weaned lambs

3
Fitting lambs to systems
When dealing with home-produced lambs or bought-in lambs, batch according to weight so that their
feed can be targeted more efficiently.

OVER 35kg
30–35kg
BELOW 30kg

Long keep Medium keep Short keep

more than twelve weeks six to twelve weeks less than six weeks
Total gain = 12-18kg Total gain= 6-12kg Total gain = 5-6kg
80-100g gain/day 90-110g gain/day 140-160g gain/day

Tips for selling store lambs Tips for buying store lambs
• Batch lambs by weight, breed, sex or level • Handle the animals and assess condition.
of finish If possible, weigh before purchase
• Healthy lambs grow quicker and generally • Buy lambs according to feed availability
sell better. Follow a flock health plan • Inspect all lambs for signs of ill-health
• Keep a close eye on store lamb prices and • Source from as few farms as possible to
feed supply when deciding to sell minimise the risk of buying-in disease

Priority to lambs or ewes?

On farms with breeding ewes, it is important that ewes have enough time on unrestricted grazing to
regain body condition and to be on a rising plan of nutrition for tupping. If extra winter feed needs to
be bought-in to replace the feed eaten by the weaned lambs, it may be more cost effective to sell the
lambs earlier. A store lamb will eat nearly the same amount as a dry ewe.
Target for grass-based systems = >70% of lambs to be sold (finished or as stores) by tupping
See page 13 for how to use a partial budget to compare decisions.

4
Estimating finishing weights
When thinking about target growth rates, it is worth checking finishing weights.
A lamb finishing at fat class 3L will typically have a weight that is half of its potential mature weight.
Add 5% for medium/long keep lambs and entire males.
To make sure lambs are on target to finish when expected, monitor progress by weighing all lambs or
10–20% of the group every one or two weeks.

Example
Potential mature weight: Finished weight at fat class 3L:
70 + 90 80kg
= 80kg = 40kg
2 2

70kg 90kg
3L - 40kg

Finishing entire males

Keeping and finishing entire male lambs can be beneficial due to higher growth rates and better feed
conversion. However, this needs careful management after weaning.
• Separate from ewe lambs by five months of age at the latest
• Plan finishing carefully, avoiding long store periods
• Feed a high-quality ration in the later stages of finishing and bear in mind that meat quality will be
affected if they are not finished by eight months of age

Shearing store lambs

Shearing lambs can increase growth rates if they are being finished indoors on an ad-lib feeding system.
It may be worth doing an on-farm trial to make sure the benefits of faster growth rates outweigh the
total cost of shearing.

Pros Cons
Lambs eat more and can finish quicker, Will need to be housed for over a month
reducing days to slaughter to see cost benefit of shearing
Reduces lying area required per lamb Does not reduce feeding space requirements per lamb
Reduced risk of heat stress, which can be a problem Check with the abattoir, as some will penalise for
when lambs are housed and fed a high cereal diet shorn lambs
Table 2: The pros and cons of shearing store lambs

5
Feed planning
Knowing how much feed is available and how much is needed to feed the lambs simplifies management
decisions and improves production efficiency. Whatever crop the lambs are eating, the principles of planning
feed allocation remain the same.

Calculating demand
Growing lambs generally eat around 4% of their bodyweight as dry matter (DM) per day. For
example, a 30kg lamb that is growing well on high-quality forage will eat around 1.2kg DM per day.
A feed budget can be used to take into consideration changes in lamb numbers and weight to
estimate how much feed is required. This can be used to allocate crops to certain groups or to help
make decisions about whether to keep lambs to finish or sell as stores.

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan

Number of lambs [A] 300 300 300 250 150 100 50
Average weight (kg) [B] 30 33 36 39 42 42 42
% of bodyweight* [C] 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Daily requirement
1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7
(kg DM) [D = B x (C/100)]
Group requirement (kg
360 390 420 400 255 170 85
DM per day) [E = D x A]
Monthly requirement
11.2 11.7 12.6 12.0 7.7 5.1 2.6
(t DM) [F = (E x 30)/1000]
Table 3: Calculations of monthly feed demand
* 4% will cover some utilisation losses but if grazing crops in wet conditions, a greater allocation may be needed

Calculating supply
Alternatively if a fixed area or tonnage of forage crop or feed is available, the number of lambs that this could
feed needs to be calculated. For example: 3ha crop of stubble turnips with a yield of 5t DM/ha = 15t DM.
According to the feed budget, around 110 lambs would be supported on that crop for three months.
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Crop available (area) [G] 1 1 1
Yield (t DM/ha) [H] 4^ 5^ 6^
Feed available (t DM/ha) [I = G x H] 4 5 6
Daily requirement (kg DM) [D] 1.3 1.4 1.6
Total grazing days [J = (I x 1000)/D] 3,076 3,571 3,750
Number of lambs per month [J/30] 103 119 125
Table 4: Calculations of monthly feed supply
^ Some plant growth will occur so the available feed will change
The same principle can be applied to grass – see Beef and Sheep BRP Manual 8 – Planning grazing
strategies for Better Returns for more details, or Manual 6 – Using brassicas for Better Returns
on guidance on how to estimate yields of forage crops.
6
Making the best use of grass
Grass can be used for all batches of lambs but needs careful management to ensure quality and quantity is
maintained. Be aware that weaned lambs can readily eat into the reserves kept for flushing and
over-wintering ewes, which may affect ewe performance and bought-in feed requirements.
Some monitoring of the grass is required to optimise the performance of the stock and the grass. Sward
heights are the simplest way – see Table 5 for targets.

Rotational grazing
Class of stock Set stocking (cm)
Pre-graze (cm) Post-graze (cm)
Weaned finishing lambs 10–12 5–7 6–8
Table 5: Sward height targets for weaned finishing lambs

Grazing pasture at the right height ensures the lambs are eating high-quality grass.
The leaf is the most nutritious part of a plant (>11.5 MJ ME/kg DM), so maximising
the leaf and minimising the amount of stem (only 10.5 MJ ME/kg DM) in each bite
increases the nutritional quality of the diet and lamb performance.
White clover in pastures can increase the rate of lamb liveweight gain from
weaning to slaughter by 25% and counter the summer dip in grass growth and
quality. Good grazing management in spring is key to achieving good clover levels
from midsummer onwards.
Using a group of weaned lambs is a good way to start rotational grazing systems, as it is simpler to manage
a group of animals of similar weight and feed requirements. Give them the priority in terms of feed quality,
moving them through each paddock first, so they are able to select the best bits, with ‘followers’ such as
replacement ewes or cows and calves, being used to tidy up behind them.
Grazing systems can be easier to plan if they are based on the kg DM requirements for the group and the
available grass (kg DM per ha).
Beef and Sheep BRP Manual 8 – Planning grazing strategies for Better Returns demonstrates how
to do this.

Reducing parasite risk in grazing systems

Grazing management can be used to reduce the dependence on wormers but
requires significant planning. The elements that reduce parasite burdens are grazing
with other classes of stock, eg grazing with sheep one year and cattle the next,
using the fields for conservation for some or all of the year, or grazing new reseeds
after a forage or arable crop.
In an ideal situation, finishing lambs should not be grazed on land which has had ewes
and lambs on in the same season, as these are high risk fields. The challenge is when
only high risk fields are available, as parasites are likely to have an impact and regular
treatments may be needed. Use faecal egg counts to monitor. See Sustainable Worm
Control Strategies for Sheep at www.scops.org.uk for more details.

7
Feed options
Lambs can be finished successfully on a variety of crops.

Yield
Growing costs Potential lamb
Crop Sowing time Period of use (tonnes
(£/ha/yr) growth (g/day) DM/ha)
Ryegrasses All year 10 – 11
300 – 450
eg perennial Apr – Sep 250
Or as silage (for 5 years) 13 – 14
and Italian
Grazing: Aug – Nov 350 – 600
Red clover Apr – Jul 300 10 – 15
Or as silage (for 5 years)

Grazing: Aug – Nov 600 – 800 Grazing : 250

Lucerne Apr – Jul 10 – 12
(for 5 years)
Or as silage Silage : 210

Chicory/plantain 400 – 600

Apr – Jul May – Sep 300 10 – 12
and clover (for 3-5 years)

Stubble turnips/
Mar – Aug Jun – Dec 160 – 230 270 5–6
forage rape

Rape/kale
Mar – Aug May – Mar 200 – 300 250 6–8
hybrid

Swedes Feb – Jun Oct – Apr 370 – 400 240 7–8

Kale Apr – Aug Jun – Apr 300 – 350 180 8–9

Table 6: Feed options for growing and finishing lambs

BRP has published manuals and online documents with more details of most of these crops.
Manual 4 – Managing clover for Better Returns
Manual 6 – Using brassicas for Better Returns
The Home-Grown Forages Directory
View at www.eblex.org.uk or call 0870 241 8829 or
email [email protected] to request a free copy
of the manuals and directory.

8
 ME CP (g/
DM (%) (MJ/kg Pros Cons
kg DM)
DM)
15 – 25 Grazing 10 – 12 15 – 19 • Can be available all year round • Good management needed for
• Range of species and varieties to high utilisation
30 – 45 Silage 10 – 12 12 – 16 meet system needs • Does not fix nitrogen
12 – 18 Grazing 11 – 12 20 – 25 • Fixes nitrogen • Susceptible to crown damage
• High yielding • Risk of bloat
25 – 30 Silage 10 – 11 14 – 19 • High protein • Must be rotationally grazed
12 – 18 Grazing • High yielding • Slow to establish
10 18 – 20 • High protein • Struggles in waterlogged soils
30 Silage • Has good drought tolerance • Must be rotationally grazed
• High protein content
• Deep tap root to draw up trace • Susceptible to crown damage
12 – 15 11 – 12 20 elements and minerals • Must be rotationally grazed
• Could reduce the use of • Difficult to ensile
anthelmintics
• Yields are unpredictable
10 – 12 10 – 11 17 – 18
• Fast growing • Utilisation rates are weather
• Suits arable rotations dependant
• Not very frost hardy
• High yield potential
10 – 13 10 – 11 18 – 19
• Winter hardy • Whole season crop
• Provides feed through spring • Digestibility falls as crop ages
• Cheap to grow
• Run-back area is essential
9 – 13 12 – 13 10 – 11
• Frost hardy • Dirty lambs
• Can be lifted and stored • Performance drops when lambs
lose milk teeth in late winter
• Run-back area is essential
15 – 17 10 – 11 14 – 17
• Very good yields • Dirty lambs
• Winter hardy • Stems can get too woody

BRP+ online publications

Using chicory and plantain in beef and sheep systems
Growing and feeding lucerne
View at www.eblex.org.uk.

9
More feed options
Silage
Good-quality grass silage costs more than grazed grass to produce and feed. However, it can match
concentrate feeds in terms of energy and crude protein content and costs half as much per tonne of
DM. This makes it one of the most viable feeds for finishing lambs indoors.
• Have silage analysed so that its nutritional content is known
• Lambs will not perform on poor-quality silage (digestibility of below 64% or 10 MJ ME/kg DM)
• Use supplements to balance the ration if the analysis reveals a shortfall in energy or protein
• A short forage chop-length encourages greater intakes, which increases growth rates and reduces
the days taken to reach slaughter

Concentrates
Feeding concentrates to finish lambs can be
financially rewarding in some cases, eg for
specialist early lambing flocks which aim
to market lambs in spring when prices are
traditionally high.
Using concentrates strategically to hit
performance targets or to release grazing for
other classes of stock that need it more, can
improve the cost benefit of supplementation. But
purchased feeds should not be offered routinely,
especially if good-quality grass is plentiful.
A good feed conversion efficiency (FCE) is
essential to cover the cost of concentrates and
can vary from 5:1 to 10:1. A sensitivity analysis
can show how FCE and concentrate costs can affect the margin and whether feeding is viable.
Example
Table 7 assumes a lamb needs to gain 12kg which has a value of £22.80 (£1.90/kg LW), with
additional variable costs of £3.50. For example, a concentrate price of £260/t and a FCE of 6:1 gives
a margin of £0.58 per lamb. The impact of changing prices or FCE can be seen.

FCE (kg gain:kg concentrate)

5:1 6:1 7:1 8:1 9:1 10:1
220 £6.10 £3.46 £0.82 -£1.82 -£4.46 -£7.10
Concentrate
260 £3.70 £0.58 -£2.54 -£5.66 -£8.78 -£11.90
price (£/t)
300 £1.30 -£2.30 -£5.90 -£9.50 -£13.10 -£16.70
Table 7: Example sensitivity analysis comparing concentrate price and FCE on margin per lamb

10
Total Mixed Rations (TMRs) Co-products
A TMR is where forage and concentrates are Co-products such as
mixed together and fed out from a feeder wagon vegetable waste, citrus
to offer a complete diet. pulp or bread meal can
reduce feed costs.
• TMRs provide a constant diet throughout
the day, reducing the risk of rumen upset and • Check feed value
acidosis carefully, including
• They can reduce labour and time taken to moisture content
feed and trace element
and mineral levels.
• It is essential to have the forage analysed to These can vary widely
produce an appropriate and cost effective between batches and
TMR that will deliver target growth rates sources
• Calculate costs (including delivery) per kg
DM. Moist products mean more money is
spent transporting water
• Appropriate on-farm storage and handling
is needed. Moist products can deteriorate
rapidly

Feed requirements
The nutritional requirements of lambs vary depending on weight and target growth rate. Energy
and protein requirements can differ between sex and breeds.
Use the energy and protein requirements in Table 8 to:
• Set realistic targets based on feed quality
• Help formulate rations

Metabolisable
Lamb Potential dry Metabolisable
Growth rate energy (ME)
weight matter intake protein (MP)
(g/day) requirements
(kg) (kg DM/day)^ (g/day)
(MJ/day)
150 6.8 80
20 0.8
250 10.0 110
150 9.0 85
30 1.2
250 13.0 114
150 11.1 91
40 1.6
250 16.0 119
Table 8: Energy and protein requirements for growing castrated lambs on forage
^ Based on 4% of bodyweight

11
What are the costs?
Knowing the costs of the animals and feeds is essential when deciding to buy or sell stores or to
finish home-produced lambs.
Use the tables on pages 6, 8 and 9 to calculate the amount of feed needed to obtain an
understanding of the likely feed and forage costs before committing to any particular system.

Feed cost Feed cost

Number Cost per Feed cost Finishing for for group
Weight Intake finishing
of kg DM per day period over
(kg)^ (kg DM)* period
animals (p) (p) (days) finishing
(£ per lamb) period
200 39 1.6 6 9.4 30 £2.82 £564
150 35 1.4 12 16.8 80 £13.44 £2,016
Table 9: Calculation of feed cost per lamb
^ Use weight in midpoint of finishing period, eg start weight of 36kg and finish weight of 42kg, means midpoint weight is 39kg
* Assume 4% of bodyweight

Stocktake data can provide a guide to average costs for store finishing systems, which can be used to
compare with actual costs.

Stocktake 2013 average Your system

Variable costs (£ per lamb) Total Per lamb
Total feed and forage 5.22
Vet and medicine 0.65
Bedding 0.35
Other livestock expenses 3.72
Total variable costs: 9.93
Fixed costs
Labour 6.41
Power and machinery 2.13
Depreciation 1.59
Property and finance 4.43
Other 3.10
Total fixed costs: 17.68
Table 10: Average costs for store finishing from Stocktake data 2013

12
Comparing decisions
A partial budget is one way to compare the margins when making decisions, eg whether to sell lambs
as stores, rear onto heavier weights or to finish. Table 11 shows an example comparing selling stores
in November compared to feeding them to finish.
Example
Sell as stores Sell as
in November finished lambs
Lamb weight 30kg LW 19kg DW
Price (after haulage/commission) 150p/kg LW 380p/kg DW
Value £45.00 £72.20
Difference in value: £27.20
Additional feed costs
Swedes – approx. 90kg DM at 7p/kg DM (@ £70/t DM) £6.30
Concentrates – approx. 15kg at 24p/kg (@ £240/t) £3.60
Other variable costs (vet, medicines and bedding) £4.72
Lamb mortality – 2% (of finished lamb value) £1.44
Margin after additional costs (not including fixed costs) £11.14
Table 11: Example partial budget comparing selling options
Use current and historical weight and price information to calculate the potential value of the
finished lambs.

Sensitivity analysis
Sensitivity analysis can be used as a ‘what if’ tool to look at how changes in prices, costs or
performance can affect margins.
Example
The example below investigates the effect of lamb mortality and lamb price of margin after variable
costs, based on the numbers in Table 11. For example, a lamb price of 400p/kg DW and lamb
mortality of 4% gives a margin of £13.34 per lamb.

Lamb price (p/kg DW)

340 360 380 400 420 440

Lamb 2 £3.69 £7.41 £11.14 £14.86 £18.58 £22.31

mortality 4 £2.40 £6.04 £9.69 £13.34 £16.99 £20.64
(%) 6 £1.10 £4.68 £8.25 £11.82 £15.39 £18.96
Table 12: Example sensitivity analysis comparing lamb price and lamb mortality on margin per lamb

13
Biosecurity and health planning
Quarantine
Purchased store lambs pose a health risk to other stock on
the farm. Always assume that bought-in animals are dirty
until proven otherwise, irrespective of the source. Discuss
treatments and checks to carry out with the vet.
Keep incoming stock separate for a minimum of three
weeks in a shed or a field which has no contact with other
stock. If possible, separate sheep bought from different
sources for the quarantine period. This will reduce the
damage if disease outbreaks do occur in one of the groups.

Top Tips
• Inspect lambs for any signs of disease, such as external parasites, orf, footrot or contagious
ovine digital dermatitis (CODD)
• Isolate any affected animals immediately
• As soon as possible, drench with 4-AD or 5-SI wormer and inject with Moxidectin (1%) which
will also remove any threat from sheep scab. Dose to the heaviest lamb in the group. Keep the
lambs off pasture for one to two days after treatment
• Consider whether worming can be done at the source or immediately before transport, eg at
the auction market, on the trailer or at the seller’s farm by the purchaser
• Consider treating for liver fluke if lambs are from an unknown source or a farm known to be
susceptible to this parasite
• Start a clostridial vaccination programme for medium and long keep lambs

Disease risk
Having a health plan in place is essential for any lamb finishing
system. It should include:
• Internal and external parasite control plans
• Vaccination programmes
• Lameness protocols
• Current level of disease and targets
The health plan should be updated regularly and altered quickly
to reflect current problems or potential risks. It is worth seeking
veterinary advice when setting-up and adapting the plan.

14
Internal parasites Clostridial diseases
Parasites and liver fluke levels vary from farm to It is a good idea to vaccinate bought-in lambs
farm and year to year, depending on a range of for clostridial diseases, as the colostrum they
factors, some of which cannot be controlled. So received from their mothers only provides
treating with the same product at the same time protection until 12–14 weeks of age.
every year, may not be effective and could be
Sheep that have never been vaccinated need two
costly in the short and longer term.
injections four to six weeks apart. Vaccinated
Plan a series of faecal egg counts (FEC) for animals require a booster every 12 months. Use
grazing lambs to identify worm numbers and a combined vaccine where pasturella pneumonia
wormer-resistant populations. is a threat.
Discuss an effective liver fluke and wormer The EBLEX Sheep diseases directory has more
programme with the vet to reduce the number information and advice common health issues.
of drenches given, improve lamb performance
and help prevent wormer resistance developing.
This will reduce current and future input costs. Lameness
Lameness reduces lamb growth
It is worth thinking about a grazing
rates and increases the time they
strategy that reduces the worm
challenge to lambs, eg not grazing take to finish. Lambs on forage
older lambs where ewes and lambs crops and roots are particularly
have grazed in the spring. prone to getting clods of soil
stuck in their feet.
EBLEX Sheep BRP Manual 8 –
Worm control in sheep for Better Returns has Aim to deal with lame lambs quickly and identify
more details. the cause before treatment to save costs. Remember
footbathing only helps to treat and prevent scald.
EBLEX Sheep BRP Manual 7 – Reducing
External parasites lameness for Better Returns covers all types of
Blowfly can still be a problem lameness and appropriate treatments.
in autumn, particularly in
southern England. Store lambs
are particularly susceptible, as Deficiencies
a change in diet can lead to Trace element and mineral deficiencies can occur
scouring which attracts the in sheep. If deficiencies are suspected, discuss
female flies. taking blood samples with the vet to identify the
EBLEX Sheep BRP Manual 10 – Controlling cause and correct any problems identified. Ensure
external parasites for Better Returns has more performance is monitored to ensure there is a
advice and information. production response to any supplements given.

The EBLEX BRP Cattle and Sheep Parasite For more information view the BRP+ document
Control Guide has more information on Trace element supplementation of beef cattle
products available with their withdrawal periods. and sheep – available at www.eblex.org.uk.

15
Selection for slaughter
Before buying-in stores or starting to home-finish Margins in lamb finishing enterprises are tight
lambs, farmers should ask themselves: Who will and it is easy to start losing money on stock
be buying the lambs? How will they be marketed? without even realising it.
When do they need to be ready by? What type of
Weighing lambs before they go to slaughter will
lamb is required?
help farmers predict when lambs are ready for
Once an answer to all these questions is known, slaughter more accurately in the future.
a plan can be put in place to achieve the target
Handle with care
growth rates needed to meet the customers’
needs, using feeds that are most appropriate and Abattoirs will penalise carcases that show signs
readily available. of bruising. Avoid:
• Grabbing wool
Know what buyers want
• Lambs trampling over
• Weight/classification. What are the penalties each other
associated with not meeting the customers’
specifications? • Sharp objects on
gates, hurdles and
• Timing. Talk to the buyers and auctioneers to trailers
judge when the best time will be to sell the
lambs to gain the best returns Present clean
• Monitor price trends at www.eblex.org.uk
lambs
Abattoirs will penalise or condemn dirty lambs.
Handle and weigh lambs regularly Do:
It is really important to handle lambs every • Crutch and remove belly wool before grazing
one to two weeks to identify any health or crops such as swedes, forage rape or kale
nutritional problems early, so action can be • Provide dry run-back areas
taken to rectify the situation quickly.
• Consider housing lambs to dry overnight before
transporting to the abattoir
Feedback
Monitor the performance of lambs after sale or
at slaughter. Keeping good records will help make
informed management decisions.

Remember, 85% of the market is looking

for lambs that weigh 21kg or less and that
are grade R3L.
In November and December 2013, more
than one in four lambs slaughtered in
England were classified as having a fat
score of 3H or above.

16
Measuring and monitoring performance
It can be very useful to analyse the data that can be easily collected from batches of growing and finishing
lambs going through the system, such as weight gains, days on the feed, grazing days and proportion of
carcases hitting specification.
Growth rate targets
Once growth rate targets have been established for the system or crop (see pages 4, 8 and 11), regular
monitoring will make sure the enterprise stays on track.
Weighing lambs every two to three weeks will help estimate growth rates, which can be used to:
• Check against targets
• Estimate days to finish
• Evaluate lamb and feed performance
• Identify whether changes in management practice are having an effect
• Identify if lambs from different sources (eg rams and farms) perform differently
If it is not possible to weigh all lambs, 10–20% of the group can be weighed to get an idea of performance.

Carcase targets
Information from abattoir records should be interrogated to understand if any improvement can be made,
eg were there too many overfat or heavy lambs?

Example Your system

Total number of lambs slaughtered A 500
Conformation (E U R) B 450
Number of lambs
Fatness (2–3L) C 430
hitting target
Deadweight (19–21kg) D 390
Conformation (E U R) (B/A) x 100 90%
% of lambs hitting
Fatness (2–3L) (C/A) x 100 86%
target
Deadweight (19–21kg) (D/A) x 100 78%
Table 13: Calculation of the proportion of carcases hitting specification
Carcase and key performance indicator (KPI) calculators are available at www.eblex.org.uk.

17
Other BRP publications available
Sheep BRP
Manual 1 – Marketing Prime Lamb for Better Returns
Manual 2 – Buying a Recorded Ram to Generate Better Returns
Manual 3 – Target Lamb Management for Better Returns
Manual 4 – Target Ewe Management for Better Returns
Manual 5 – Growing and Finishing Lambs for Better Returns
Manual 6 – Target Easier Management for Better Returns
Manual 7 – Reducing Lameness for Better Returns
Manual 8 – Worm Control in Sheep for Better Returns
Manual 9 – Improving Ewe Breeding for Better Returns
Manual 10 – Controlling External Parasites for Better Returns
Manual 11 – Target Ewe Fertility for Better Returns
Manual 12 – Improving Ewe Nutrition for Better Returns
Manual 13 – Improving Sheep Handling for Better Returns
Manual 14 – Reducing Lamb Losses for Better Returns

Beef and Sheep BRP

Manual 1 – Improving Pasture for Better Returns
Manual 2 – Improved Costings for Better Returns
Manual 3 – Improving Soils for Better Returns
Manual 4 – Managing Clover for Better Returns
Manual 5 – Making Grass Silage for Better Returns
Manual 6 – Using Brassicas for Better Returns
Manual 7 – Managing Nutrients for Better Returns
Manual 8 – Planning Grazing Strategies for Better Returns
Manual 9 – Minimising Carcase Losses for Better Returns

See the EBLEX website www.eblex.org.uk for the full list of

Better Returns Programme publications for beef and sheep producers.

For more information contact:

Better Returns Programme EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture
Development Board (AHDB)
EBLEX
© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2014
Stoneleigh Park All rights reserved.
Kenilworth
Warwickshire
CV8 2TL

Tel: 0870 241 8829

Email: [email protected]
www.eblex.org.uk